Kublai's Kahn
Since January 28, 2001, Axel Brümmer and Peter Glöckner, two German cyclists, have been retracing the route of Marco Polo, the first European to travel to China.
From Peking they plan to travel to Hong Kong over land, which will see them pass through the Emperors Channel.
From there they will board one of the last remaining Chinese Junks boats and with the trade wind follow Marco Polo's route. When they stop, they will take some detours inland on their bicycles, in order to get to know the country and the people better (in the same way they have done during their other trips). In Hormuz, part of the crew will revert back to land for the stretch to Istanbul, while the others will continue to sail on the Junk through the Red Sea, the Suez Canal and into the Mediterranean before arriving in Istanbul.
From there the crew will reunite and travel on to Venice together.
I boarded Kublai's Kahn*, their 27-metre Chinese junk, for a fund-raising sunset cruise while Axel and Peter were in Hong Kong.
It was spectacular.
The ship was a bit rickety, hence the need for an overhaul (electrical system, sails, keel and engine) before it sails to Venice. The return trip is expected to take two years.
We cruised around the Western end of Hong Kong Island into Victoria Harbour, hoisting all four sails for the tourists on the Kowloon promenade, before returning to Aberdeen in the early evening.
I got my sea legs quickly enough, but I'm waiting for my land legs to return.
I'm still swaying after four hours on the water.
* Photograph © Alex Brümmer - used with permission
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